How to Manage Disruptive Change : Leadership, Vision, Technology, Talent

Adaptive leadership is a style that encourages sharing, listening to suggestions, seeking out uncomfortable opinions and ideas. Sometimes, saying, "Tell me what you think I do not want to hear." With collective wisdom decision-making, the combined cognitive differences can uncover hidden problems and opportunities, leading to perspective-shifting conclusions.

In an environment of disruptive change, strategic planning as we know it is no longer workable. Accelerating change makes the future less knowable and impossible to plan for, which is why organizations must be flexible, resilient, and innovative.

Today's form of planning involves a process of progressive realization, the concept that knowledge, understanding, and perspectives are transient over time. Adaptive organizations are creating team-based business models designed to experiment, prototype, learn, and discover the future.

The book describes why adaptive leadership, vision, digital transformation and winning the talent war are strategic imperatives. Demanding attention, understanding, and action. They cannot be delegated; they must be led.

Get a set of management guidelines, concepts, and principles for succeeding amid disruptive change with the wisdom, lessons, and insights in this business guidebook.

Bob Shafto took over a failing computerization project at New England Mutual Life Insurance Company and transformed it into a leader in this area in subsequent decades. He has much to teach today's leaders about adapting to disruptive digital transformations.

JoAnne Yates

Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management

MIT Sloan School of Management

Bob Shafto

earned a bachelor's degree in actuarial science from Drake University. He managed computer systems for Guarantee Mutual, was a senior-systems engineer at Electronic Data Systems Corp. He joined New England Mutual Life as vice president and chief information officer. After a series of promotions, Mr. Shafto was appointed to Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr. Shafto has more than thirty-five years of computer systems development, project, and executive management experience.